General Meeting 28th September 2017

5)Nominations
for National Vice President. Publicity had been received from two
candidates, Kauser Jan and John Wiseman.

Kauser Jan nominated No
other nominations. Passed

6)Motions

C) Climate
Change

In view of the increasing urgency of the need to
take immediate measures to combat climate breakdown shown by the
hurricanes in the Caribbean and the floods in Northern India Islington NEU (NUT
section) agrees to

1) affiliate to the Campaign Against
Climate Change (£25) and to make a donation of £100 to the campaign.

2) circulate our reps with
a sustainable schools checklist to take up with management.

B) Krakow/Auschwitz trip

With the continuing threat from racist and fascist groups
across Europe, and the rise of racial violence and open antisemitism since
Trump was elected in America, we recognise the crucial role that teachers can
play in educating young people about the history of racism and fascism and in
providing positive anti-racist and anti-fascist messages to their students.

Islington NEU (NUT) welcomes that fact that Unite Against
Fascism and Love Music Hate Racism are once again organising an educational
trip to memorial sites and museums in Krakow, Poland, and the Auschwitz death
camp from 16-20 November. In addition to the site visits there will be
specialist talks/presentations and a guided walk.

This branch resolves to sponsor at least 2 local members to
go on this trip by paying for their costs for hotel/breakfast/trips/lectures.
(£225 single room/£140 shared)

Those sponsored would be expected to pay for their own
flights and to commit themselves to reporting back from the visit and feeding
their insights and knowledge gained into their ongoing education work and into
the anti-racist work of the Association.

Priority would be given to young members of the association,
and to BAME members.

We agree to support and send delegates to the Stand Up To
Racism conference on Saturday 21st October at Friends Meeting House
in Central London.

We also agree to support the ‘Where next for the fight
against racism?’ Public Meeting at 7pm on Tuesday 10th October at Islington town
Hall, organised by Islington SUTR.

A) D) Pay

Islington Teachers Association notes:

The 14% real cut in teachers’ and other
public-sector workers’ pay since 2010 because of the Coalition and Tory
government public sector worker pay cap.

The recent Equality Trust analysis which found
that FTSE 100 chief executives are now paid 165 times more than a nurse,
140 times more than a teacher, 132 times more than a police officer and
312 times more than a care worker.

Opinion
research which finds that a majority of the UK public believe that the pay
cap should be scrapped.

We welcome:

Demands by many trade union leaders at this
month’s TUC congress that the pay cap should end and that all public-sector
workers should get across the board pay rises substantially above the rate
of inflation.

Calls at the Congress for public sector trade
unions to co-ordinate strike action if necessary to achieve this objective
and announcements by the PCS, UCU and POA that they intend to ballot their
members on taking such action.

Support from Jeremy Corbyn and John McDonnell
for public-sector workers taking action against the pay cap.

Joint demonstrations that have been called by
a number of public-sector unions, including the NUT, and especially
the Britain deserves a pay rise – end the pay cap now demonstration
and rally in London on 17 October.

The
continuation of the successful NUT/NEU schools funding campaign which is
complementary to our demand for a pay-rise which goes some way, at least,
to restore the value of teachers’ pay to what it was in 2010 and attract
sufficient new recruits to the profession.

We agree:

To mobilise as many Islington teachers (and
parents) as possible to attend the demonstration on 17 October.

To co-ordinate our efforts with other
public-sector trade unions in Islington, as well as well as with parent
groups such as Islington Fair Funding for Schools.

To call
on the national union to join other public-sector unions in balloting
members this term for national strike action against the public sector pay
cap, recognising that the widely-acknowledged legitimacy of and support
for our demand for a substantial pay-rise means that a ballot outcome
which complies with legal requirements is achievable.

Emergency Motion –
Young Teachers

This division / association notes:

That teachers under 35 make up 47% of the in service membership of this branch,
reflecting the relatively youthful nature of the teaching profession in this
area.

45% of respondents to a recent NUT survey of young teachers indicated
they're considering quitting the profession in the next five years with
unsustainable workload cited as a major factor affecting this.

In London this is compounded by the high cost of living with 60% of respondents
to the London Young Teachers Housing Campaign survey indicating they could not
see themselves in London in the next five years, the majority citing the high
cost of living as the primary factor driving them out.

These are issues faced by older members but they can be particularly
acute for young teachers at the start of their careers and in a more precarious
situation.

This branch believes:

(i)That we must strive to increase the participation of young teachers at
branch, regional and national level. This will improve the short term health of
the union but is essential for the long term sustainability of a lay-led union.

(ii)That a conscious effort must be made to facilitate young teachers being
active and we will review how the branch operates accordingly.

This branch resolves:

To strive for the percentage of young teachers in the branch to be
reflected in those holding positions as reps, officers and conference
delegates, while balancing the need to increase representation of
under-represented groups.

To disseminate the London Young Teachers Network Fair Workload Charter
to reps and members and invite a member of the network to address a future branch
meeting.

To ensure there is an active Young Teacher Officer in post as soon as is
practical, in line with the rules of the union.

To ensure that the Young Teacher Officer has an input into the content
of meetings, that issues pertinent to young teachers are routinely included on
the agenda and that and that a conscious effort is made to mobilise young
teachers for divisional meetings.

B)Holloway Redevelopment

Islington NEU (NUT):

·notes the government's plan to sell off the site of
Holloway Prison for redevelopment.

·recognises that London is an increasingly
unaffordable city for teachers and other key workers

·notes that redevelopments left to developers
concentrate on high profitability gentrification with a few
"affordable" homes tacked on as an afterthought; sometimes with
"poor doors"

·commends the campaign for a Community
Plan and open day on 30 September (see attached) which some
schools have already circulated to parents.

calls for

·ALL the housing in the redevelopment to be built
for rent, with rents set at a level the average worker can meet

·For a variety of homes, public spaces and
facilities; so the development contains a range of generations with the
possibility of building a community

·For all the buildings erected to be zero carbon
and, preferably generating more energy than they use

·For the local community, including schools, to be
involved in the planning and development process

·For the importance of the historical site in the
fight for women's suffrage to be publically marked.